JEFFERSON COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS VAT113 PRINCIPLES OF CLINICAL MEDICINE I 4 Credit Hours Prepared by: Dana Nevois, RVT Revised 06/08 John Keck, Dean of Career & Technical Education VAT113 PRINCIPLES OF CLINICAL MEDICINE I 1
I. CATALOG DESCRIPTION Prerequisite: Admission to Program 4 semester hours credit Principles of Clinical Medicine I will provide the students with a focus on practical veterinary nursing. Topics include medical terminology, elementary animal care and handling, small animal nutrition, medical math, and animal behavior. A laboratory session for this course provides hands-on animal experience. II. EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this course the students will be provided with a basic sense of the functions of a technician in a veterinary practice, and will be able to safely handle and medicate animals. III. COURSE OUTLINE A. Medical Terminology 1. Word Derivations 2. Prefixes and Suffixes 3. Terms Used to Denote Animal Anatomy 4. Common Terms of Pathology 5. Surgical Terms B. Hospital Procedures 1. Pathogen Classification 2. Small Animal Diseases 3. Record Keeping 4. Care and Observation of Hospitalized Patients C. Histories & Physical Exams 1. Diagnostic Tools 2. Histories - Small Animals 3. Small Animal Physical Exam 4. Presurgical and Postsurgical Physical Exam D. Theriogenology & Pediatrics 1. Canine Reproduction 2. Feline Reproduction 3. Hand Raising Neonates 4. Management of the Sick Puppy or Kitten 5. Common Diseases of Puppies 6. Training Clients to Train Puppies E. Animal Behavior 1. Normal vs. Abnormal Behavior 2. Causes 3. Solutions to Behavior Problems F. Small Animal Nutrition 2
1. Basic Nutrient Requirements 2. Reading Labels - Figuring Animals Nutritional Needs 3. Cats 4. Special Needs G. Medical Math 1. Basic Math Review 2. Metric System 3. Figuring Dosages 4. Solutions 5. Fluid Administration IV. UNIT OBJECTIVES As recommended by the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA), upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: A. Medical Terminology Recognize key medical terms and apply these to the scientific methods of disease diagnosis and research principles. B. Hospital Procedures 1. Become familiar with the various pathogens in relation to animal disease, and how to prevent the spread of these pathogens. 2. Identify commonly encountered small animal diseases and preventive measures for them. 3. Demonstrate the proper methods of handling and restraint of common pet and domestic animals. 4. Apply methods and devices used for personnel and patient safety. 5. Demonstrate proficiency in basic care, grooming and medication of hospitalized animals. 6. Know the necessity of keeping careful hospital records. C. Histories & Physical Exams 1. Identify physiological abnormalities and record findings of histories and physical examinations of animal patients. 2. Demonstrate proficiency in obtaining vital signs from small domestic animals. 3. Obtain various tissue specimens from a live animal for testing purposes. 4. Perform a specified number of fecal analyses and canine heartworm filtration tests in the allotted time period. D. Theriogenology & Pediatrics 1. Apply knowledge of canine and feline reproduction to the normal and abnormal conditions experienced in a veterinary practice. 2. Know the correct method used to hand raise an orphaned neonate. 3. Recognize signs of disease in the neonate and be able to medically manage any common diseases that affect neonates 4. Effectively educate the general public in training techniques of puppies and kittens. E. Animal Behavior Recognize normal and abnormal animal behaviors, determine the cause of abnormal behaviors, 3
and provide solutions to behavior problems in the form of client education. F. Small Animal Nutrition 1. Know the basic nutrient requirements of dogs and cats in various life stages. 2. Know the adequacy of different animal diets by reading the label information. 3. Know the various dietary specifications required by different disease conditions. G. Medical Math 1. Apply algebraic principles to determine solution ratios. 2. Become familiar with and use the metric system of measurement to determine correct dosages of therapeutic agents commonly used in veterinary practice. 3. Become familiar with the daily fluid needs of the normal and abnormal animal, and determine drip rates to provide animals with their daily fluid needs V. METHOD(S) OF INSTRUCTION A. Lecture: MWF 12:00-12:50 p.m. B. Lab/Problem Solving TR 9:00-10:50 a.m. C. Textbooks, PowerPoint Presentations, Live Animal Models for Laboratory Instruction VI. REQUIRED TEXTS A. Merck Veterinary Manual, 9 th ed., Merck B. Dorland s Medical Dictionary, 28 th ed., Dorland, Saunders Pub. C. Dosage Calculations, 7th ed,. Pickar, Thomson Delmar Learning D. An Illustrated Guide to Veterinary Medical Terminology, 2 nd ed., Romich, Thomson Delmar Learning E. Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians, 6 th ed., McCurnin, Elsevier Saunders Pub. VII. REQUIRED MATERIALS A. Required textbooks, audio-visual aids B. Handouts prepared by the Veterinary Technology instructor C. Stethoscope, nursing watch, scissors, calculator, leash, nail trimmers, thermometer, suture removal scissors, and hemostats D. Appropriate laboratory attire (scrubs) VIII. SUPPLEMENTAL REFERENCES Materials for research projects are available in Jefferson College Library and within the Veterinary Technology Department. Journals within the department are kept for student use. IX. METHOD(S) OF EVALUATION A. Distribution of Final Grade There are written exams/quizzes, homework assignments and a comprehensive final, all of which comprise equal percentages in determining 70% of the final grade. Laboratory participation, performance, assignments and quizzes comprise 20% of the final grade. Problem solving sessions and assignments comprise the remaining 10% of the final grade. Class participation, diligence in animal care assignments, general attitude, and attendance are expected of the students, however, the instructor reserves the right to award or detract 4
percentage points based on these attributes. Students are expected to complete the course with at least a grade of C. Students who make a grade below C will be dropped from the program and invited to re-enroll as first year students and thus repeat the course the following year. Any student found in noncompliance with the Jefferson College Honesty Policy as delineated in the Jefferson College and Veterinary Technology Student Handbooks will receive a grade of F regardless of concurrent academic standing. B. Assignment of Final Letter Grades A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60-69 F = below 60 X. ATTENDANCE POLICY A. Student attendance is mandatory. There are no excused absences. Two classes (either lab or lecture) can be missed with no penalty. Ten or more lab or class absences result in a grade of an F for the course. Lab and Problem Solving Sessions cannot be made up, regardless of the reason for absence. B. Students are permitted to miss one exam date with no penalty. Make up exams are taken in the Assessment Center within 3 days of the original exam. For each subsequent exam missed, the student is penalized 10% of the total value of that exam (one letter grade). C. Failure in assigned animal care dates or failure in ANY assigned clinical duties results in the loss of one lab grade. D. The instructor may make exceptions to this policy in certain cases, i.e., illness requiring hospitalization, death in the family, etc. XI. ADA STATEMENT Any student requiring special accommodations should inform the instructor and the Coordinator of Disability Support Services (Library; phone (636) 797-3000, ext. 169). XII. ACADEMIC HONESTY STATEMENT Handbook All students are responsible for complying with campus policies as stated in the Student (see Jefferson College Website) http://www.jeffco.edu/jeffco/index.php?option=com_weblinks&catid=26&itemid=84 5